Floor Statements

Madam President, now on prescription drugs and healthcare, from one corner to the other, another issue of inflation is the high cost of drugs. At every pharmacy counter and doctor's office, grocery store, and kitchen table, the issue that remains front of mind for American families is the cost of living. While finally we are beginning to see relief as some gas prices are falling, inflation undeniably continues to strain families not just in America but around the world.

In one crucial area of life, high costs are simply unsustainable: the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. The nexus of the high cost and the necessity of these drugs to keep us healthy and keep us living is a pincer that pinches so many Americans in a very harmful way.

But this week, the Senate will formally present our case to the Parliamentarian on a number of long-sought reforms to our Nation's healthcare system that will lower costs for tens of millions of Americans.

Under our proposals, for the first time ever, we will empower Medicare to negotiate the prices of prescription drugs in Parts B and D. We will cap out-of-pocket expenses for Part D precision drugs at $2,000 a year, giving millions of Americans--many of whom have serious health problems and need these drugs--the support they desperately need so they can afford these drugs. Two thousand a year--that is it. The days of seniors paying tens of thousands of dollars per year or forgoing medicine altogether will soon be over. And we will prevent healthcare premiums from spiking for tens of millions of people.

In addition, there is an inflation rider, so that once the company announces the price of a new drug, they can't just double it and double it and double it year after year, even after they have recouped their investment in the bill.

Lowering costs of prescription drugs, capping out-of-pocket expenses, keeping premiums low--these are the top priorities for the American people. Ask any American on the street, and it is a near guarantee they will agree that rising drug costs is a serious problem. So we have to address the issue head-on.

Now, of course, Democrats will keep working on other major challenges that face our Nation. Our work on climate change is not done. We are going to work with President Biden's administration to fight climate change and protect our planet for the next generation. This is an existential threat to the globe, and we are going to keep fighting.

So, in the coming weeks, our caucus is going to be exceedingly busy as we finalize a reconciliation bill that can pass with the full support of our caucus. We still have a lot of work to do. Nobody says it is going to be simple or easy, but lowering the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs will make an enormous difference in the lives of the American people. Let's get it done and give Americans a much needed and long-awaited break.

Mr. President, as I announced earlier today, in a few moments, I will file cloture on a major piece of legislation that will help our country lower costs, increase American manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, and preserve American competitiveness on into the 21st century. It is a very significant piece of legislation, and it will ensure that America and the American economy remain No. 1 on into the 21st century.

Specifically, our chips-plus package will now include incentives for domestic microchip projection, including ITC; support for our wireless communication supply chain--ORAN--and billions dedicated to scientific research, which includes many of the provisions Senator Young and I authored in the Endless Frontier Act in partnership 2 years ago.

By filing cloture tonight, we are keeping this bill on track for final passage very soon. There has been strong bipartisan support already behind this legislation so I hope we can come to an agreement to get it done as quickly as it can because it is so important for the future of the country.

Mr. President, what is the pending business?

I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 996, Carmen G. Cantor, of Puerto Rico, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior; that the Senate

vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Republican leader of the Senate to proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 902; that there be 10 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nomination; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order and any related statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 434, S. Res. 669.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to.

I know of no further debate on the resolution, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute to the preamble be agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration, and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 686.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 694.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the Johnson amendment to the preamble at the desk be agreed to, that the preamble as amended be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 706.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today is going to be an exceedingly busy and productive day on the Senate floor.

Later today, after months of hard work and countless rounds of talks, Senators will vote to move forward on legislation that our country desperately needs--a chips bill that will lower costs, boost American manufacturing, and protect American security interests.

Over the past 24 hours, both parties have continued working on the final details to the chips package that we will vote on later today. We will see if Members can come to an agreement on adding other provisions to the bill, but the bottom line is that we must come up with a package that is capable of passing this Chamber without delay. We must act as soon as we can to make sure we bring chip manufacturing back to America because our Nation's security depends on it.

I urge my colleagues, if you want to fight inflation, if you want to create more good-paying jobs right here at home, if you want to keep America strong and competitive and innovative in the 21st century so that we can lead the economy as we did in the 20th, then this chips bill is the way to go. It is a very important bill.

The chips shortage is one of the most damaging trends over the past few years. This technology, which originated, of course, right here in America, is the bedrock for much of modern life. Cars, refrigerators, cell phones, medical devices--they all depend on chips to function. But when chips suddenly become scarce, as is the case today, the consequences are felt across the board by companies but also by average Americans. Americans see higher prices and longer wait times for all sorts of consumer goods because of this chip shortage.

It wasn't always this way, but thanks to the pandemic, this crisis is now being felt across the country.

A quarter century ago, the United States was the undisputed leader in global chip production. In 1990, we produced 40 percent--nearly 40 percent--of the world's semiconductors. Today, that figure is going down to 12 percent and will get even lower if we don't pass this bill. We have a chance of leading the way on chip manufacturing once again if we pass this legislation.

As we speak, the country's most important chip manufacturers--these are

American companies--are waiting on congressional action--mostly American companies, not all. But they are waiting on congressional action before they decide where to invest in chip production. From Asia to Europe, other nations have copied the American playbook and have already invested billions of dollars to incentivize chip manufacturers to come to them. If we do not match the efforts of other countries to boost chip manufacturing, the consequences could be dire and long- lasting. Countless good-paying American jobs are on the line. Costs that Americans are now paying--higher costs--getting them lowered is now on the line. Billions of dollars in economic activity is on the line, and our national security is on the line.

As Secretary Austin and Secretary Raimondo told us last week, our economic and national security depends on our ability to invest in the technologies of today and tomorrow.

If we allow other nations to lead the way on chips, the days of America leading the world in scientific innovation, the days of America being the leading economic and military power in the world may actually be over. Nobody wants that. So vote for this bill. This is a future none of us wants to see.

Again, vote for this bill. I urge my colleagues to move forward later today.

Mr. President, now on judges, as we move forward on legislation to boost chip manufacturing, there is a lot to do on the nominations front too.

Let me start with a very important number: 73. Let me say that again: 73. That is the total number of judges the Senate will, hopefully, have confirmed by the end of today. A year and a half into President Biden's term, that is nothing short of a towering achievement.

Here is how we reach that figure today: Later this morning, the Senate will vote to confirm Nina Nin-Yuen Wang as U.S. district court judge for the District of Colorado. This afternoon, we will hold a confirmation vote on Nancy Maldonado for the Northern District of Illinois. I expect these well-qualified nominees to move through this Chamber with bipartisan support. And as soon as today, the Senate will also vote on the confirmation of Judge Michelle Childs of South Carolina to serve on the DC Circuit.

Judge Childs will be the fourth--only the fourth--Black woman to ever sit on the DC Circuit, founded nearly 130 years ago. Confirming this remarkable jurist is an important step to reversing generations of underrepresentation and making our courts better reflect the Nation.

Let's not forget, after the Supreme Court, the DC Court of Appeals is the most important Federal court in the country, regularly taking up cases that the Supreme Court is unable to consider. Oftentimes, the DC Circuit makes the final decision on some of the most important cases in the country, particularly those involving Congress and the executive branch. It is a really important court. Remember, the Supreme Court only hears about 75 cases a year. So lots of very vital cases are decided by this circuit court of appeals.

The judges who preside on the DC Circuit must be individuals of high character and unassailable qualification, and that is precisely what we have in Judge Childs. She is a native of Detroit, a graduate of the Universities of South Florida, South Carolina, and Duke. Judge Childs built a reputation as both a trailblazing jurist and a staunch defender of the Constitution. She already commands strong bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle, and I thank my Democratic and Republican colleagues for their support of the judge.

As the Senate continues to fulfill its duty of confirming well- qualified judges, we hope the trailblazers of today can be closer to the norm of tomorrow. We want our courts to include more women, more diverse candidates, both demographically and professionally, and more judges who come from unique backgrounds. Our courts, our democracy, and the American people will be better off through these efforts. There is not a doubt in my mind Judge Childs will help advance this noble goal. I look forward to her final confirmation.

Mr. President, in a few moments, the Senate will take the first procedural vote on the chips bill that will fight inflation, boost American manufacturing, ease our supply chains, and protect American security interests.

This is one of the important votes that we will take this session, because advancing this bill is crucial for lowering costs, solving our Nation's chip shortage, and making sure America remains competitive in the 21st century.

America will fall behind in so many areas if we don't pass this bill, and we could very well lose our ranking as the No. 1 economy and innovator in the world if we can't pass this.

Lower costs, more jobs, a stronger economy--that is the recipe behind this bill, and it spells good news for the American people today and for decades to come.

I want to thank both my Democratic and Republican colleagues for working together for more than a year on these policies. I want to thank Senator Cantwell, our very able, dedicated, and hard-working committee chair, as well as Senators Wicker and Cornyn and Warner and Kelly and Sinema, as well as our conference members, as well as the many individual Senators on both sides who contributed to this legislation. This has been bipartisan work in the Senate at its best-- something we have done on several pieces of legislation this year--and I hope we can do more and do it more often.

Now, on the procedure, Members should know this vote will be a test vote, and a favorable outcome will allow the science portion of USICA to be included in this bill.

Let me explain. This vote will be a motion to proceed on a House message, which we will use as a vehicle to pass our chips legislation. It only requires 50 votes to proceed, but if we can get enough votes to comfortably withstand a filibuster, I will amend this chips, ITC, and ORAN bill to include the science provisions that so many of my colleagues, led by Senators Cantwell and Wicker, have worked on so hard to secure.

I want everyone to understand, a ``yes'' vote on this motion to proceed indicates Members will vote yes on cloture on a package that includes chips, ITC, ORAN, and the science provision.

As you all know, I am a strong supporter of the science provisions. I was the original author, along with Senator Young, of many of these policies under the Endless Frontier Act.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this vote, and I thank Senator Young for his 2-year partnership on this legislation. However, folks, if this vote doesn't produce enough votes to comfortably withstand a filibuster, we will move forward with the chips, ORAN, and ITC provisions here on the floor. It is my preference for the Senate to include the science provisions in this bill because they are so important for the future of our country.

I am very optimistic we will see a strong bipartisan vote later today.

Now I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, it is my understanding that the Senate has received a message from the House of Representatives to accompany

I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany H.R. 4346, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I was gratified, as many of us were on both sides of the aisle, with these large votes--64 votes--for this motion to proceed on to the new bill. It bodes very well that we can get this bill done with a large vote and get it done as quickly as we can, so I hope we move forward because this bill is so important for jobs and for the future of the American economy.

Motion to Concur with Amendment No. 5135

I move to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 4346, with an amendment.

I ask consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I have an amendment at the desk.

I ask consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I move to refer H.R. 4346 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation with instructions to report back forthwith with an amendment.

I ask consent that further reading of the motion be dispensed with.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I have an amendment to the instructions at the desk.

I ask consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I withdraw my request.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 922; that there be 10 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nomination; that, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session; further, that Calendar No. 1051 be considered under the same agreement.